BIHAR SHARIF: A special POSCO court of Bihar Sharif in Nalanda sentenced rigorous imprisonment for life to seven persons on Wednesday after finding them guilty of gang raping a 13-year-old girl on knife’s point while she kept begging for mercy and recording the video of their heinous crime and making the same viral afterwards on social media platforms.
The special court cum ADJ-VII Mohammad Manzoor Alam also slapped a fine of Rs 5000 on each of the convicts and failure to pay the fine would result in six months’ additional simple imprisonment.
The convicts who had been sentenced to rigorous life imprisonment are Mithun Kumar, Ranjan Kumar, Rahul Kumar, Karan Kumar, Ashish Kumar, Raj Kumar, Sonu Kumar.
The court also simultaneously sentenced three year’s imprisonment to Rahul and Sonu after finding them guilty under sections 66 (E) and 67 of The Information Technology Act.
Court also slapped a fine of Rs 1000 each of both convicts and failure to pay it would result in three months’ additional imprisonment. All the sentences would run concurrently.
Court has also allowed compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the victim.
The FIR in connection with the incident was registered by police on statement of the victim with Rajgir police station of Nalanda on September 25, 2019 after the video of the incident became widely circulated.
The case was put for speedy trial by filing chargesheet in less than two months after intricate technical and scientific investigation by police conducted on the direction of then Nalanda SP Nilesh Kumar so ensure that there is strong evidence against convicts for sentencing them.
Police had ensured facial recognition of the all the seven accused youths visible in the video through forensic analysis in the case.
Besides, police had also produced independent witnesses in the case who had identified the accused to be the same who were visible in the video.
Special public prosecutor (POCSO Act) Sushil Kumar had argued in the case who had ensured deposition of 19 witnesses.
The incident took place on September 19, 2019 when the victim had gone to attend her coaching classes early morning. The victim had met with one of her friends with whom she went to visit Vipulgiri hills.
The seven convicts were already present there who thrashed the victim’s friend forcing him to flee and then took turn to rape her by pointing a knife and recorded the entire act.
(The victim's identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme Court directives on cases related to sexual assault)